Denis Villeneuve to direct next 007 film

Denis Villeneuve, the Oscar-nominated French-Canadian film-maker, will direct the next James Bond film, Amazon MGM Studios has announced.

The Dune director said in a statement released by the studio that he was a “die-hard James Bond fan” and intends to “honour the tradition” of the franchise.

Speculation has been swirling over the future of the 007 films after long-time Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson stepped down from their roles and handed control to Amazon in February.

Villeneuve will also serve as an executive producer of the new film, having received global acclaim for helming the Dune franchise, as well as Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival.

Amazon did not give any hints on the next actor to play James Bond in the announcement, after Daniel Craig stepped back from playing the most recent incarnation.

Villeneuve acknowledged the “massive responsibility” of helming the new film and expressed his excitement at the challenge.

“I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” he said.

“I intend to honour the tradition and open the path for many new missions to come.”

Head of Amazon MGM Studios Mike Hopkins hailed Villeneuve as a “cinematic master” and praised his ability to deliver “immersive storytelling” for global audiences.

The director has been known for films that marry grand stylish visuals with complex character-focused stories.

His characters, who are frequently loners, emotionally isolated from others, often wrestle with difficult moral dilemmas and concepts of identity. Villeneuve uses tension and emotion to build to impactful action sequences, which can be brutal and brief.

That suggests his version of Bond is likely to have more in common with the gritty realism seen in Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale than the fantastical fun some fans miss from Roger Moore’s days as 007.

Ajay Chowdhury, spokesman for the James Bond International Fan Club, thinks Villeneuve’s appointment is “the most artistically significant development of the future” of the franchise.

“It is testimony to the cultural weight of the nearly 70-year-old film series that a director of such critical and commercial weight wants to and has been chosen to direct the next instalment,” he told BBC News.

Chowdhury, who is also co-author of Darker Than The Sun: An Atlas of James Bond Movie Locations, added that the director had already “proved to be a powerful visualist” and “versatile in genre”.

“His team will executive produce the picture, a first for a Bond director,” he noted. “This is testimony to his status as a helmer with final cut and his position in the cinematic landscape as one the top practitioners of the craft.”

But it remains unclear when the next Bond film will be shot and released.

Villeneuve is expected to start shooting Dune Messiah, the third movie of the Dune franchise, later this year, with a potential release date in 2026.

He is also attached to direct a string of other movies – Nuclear War: A Scenario; a new version of Cleopatra; and Rendezvous with Rama.

“I have too many things right now,” he told Vanity Fair last September.

Villeneuve gained prominence with a series of critical successes including Sicario, Prisoners and Incendies.

His 2016 science fiction thriller Arrival earned him his first Oscar nomination for directing.

Most recently, blockbusters Dune and Dune: Part Two grossed a combined total of more than $1bn (£730m) worldwide, with both films nominated for best picture Oscars in their respective years.

The question on everyone’s lips now is, who will play Bond? Chowdhury suspects that the “screenplay and vision” would need to be completed first before agents are contacted for “the most sought after role in cinema”.

British actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson and James Norton have been rumoured as frontrunners for the part, while Irish actor Paul Mescal’s name has also been thrown into the mix.

Chowdhury said the new Bond actor must have “the Goldilocks amount of fame”. In other words, “not too much [or] too little – just the right amount”.

“Names like Callum Turner, Joe Alwyn, Jack Lowden spring to mind,” he offered.

“When the new 007 debuts, he will have to be young enough to believably sustain the franchise into the next decade. He must be hungry and ambitious.

“He will probably have to lead sponsorship campaigns from brand partners, appear in video games and perhaps guest star in any TV spin-offs.

“Taking over the mantle from Daniel Craig will be no easy feat.”

Additional reporting by Paul Glynn and Ian Youngs.

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